The present invention relates to mixing tanks and in particular to steady bearings positioning a bottom end of the shaft in a sanitary mixing tank.
Sanitary mixing tanks are used for processing a variety of food, beverage, and cosmetic items. A rotating shaft reaches vertically through the tank and has blades to provide mixing. A steady bearing at the bottom of the tank positions the shaft. Due to material mixed in the tanks, the steady bearing eventually wear to the point where they must be replaced. Known tanks include a manway/man hole on the top of the tank allowing service, but replacing the steady bearings requires lifting the shaft, which in turn requires time consuming disassembling of mechanical parts at the top of the tank.
Known round steady bearings can spin with the rotation of the mixing tank shaft. As a result, material of the steady bearing contaminates the product being mixed in the tank, and the steady bearing wears out quickly.